The Endurance of Trials
by calcgirl
Summary: This is the sequel to The Essence of Terror. One year has passed since that night, and James and Lily are recovering, but are they ready for a similar attack? MWPP era.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize and probably very little that you do not recognize.

A/N: This is the sequel to The Essence of Terror. While it can be read separately, you might benefit from reading it first. However, be warned that it is rated M. This, however, is a little fluffier and acceptable for most all readers. I am also posting the prequel to both stories, so check it out if you can.

* * *

"Innocence, though oppressed by injustice, shall, supported by patience, finally triumph over misfortunes!" – Ann Radcliffe, The Mysteries of Udolpho

* * *

James Potter wiped his sweaty on his pant legs once again as he approached Lily Evans' flat on the outskirts of London. He patted his pocket to reassure himself once more that the ring was still there. A year had passed since the tragic event of last year that still gave him nightmares occasionally. He still woke up sweating, seeing Lily's face become paler and paler as the blood seeped out of her wrist.

But that was behind them now. Morano was dead. On his way to trial with the Wizengamot, he had fainted, and by the time the Aurors had escorted him to St. Mungo's, he had expired. James, Lily, and their friends had mixed feelings about this: they had wanted him to suffer, but at least he was gone and could no longer harm them or anyone else.

It had also been only about ten months since he and Lily had started dating, but he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, however long that would be, what with the war going on around them. It was Halloween again, and he knew it was the perfect day to propose, for, as he always told himself, "significant events always happen in my life on Halloween." He thought back to two weeks ago when he had approached his best friend, Sirius Black, for help…

"_Padfoot, I need your help."_

"_With what?"_

"_I need to pick out a ring. I want to propose to Lily."_

_For a moment, Sirius looked as though he wanted to laugh hysterically, but he merely smiled broadly. "I'm very happy for you. Of course I'll help you. When are you going to ask her?"_

"_Halloween. It seems the perfect day, you know. We can have a happy memory of the two of us for that day, now."_

Once again, Sirius looked as if he wanted to laugh, but James dismissed it as Sirius trying not to make fun of what would make his friend the happiest man on the face of the planet.

He took a deep breath as he rapped on the door to her flat and waited for her to open it. When she did, he smiled at her, leaned down to give her a quick kiss on the cheek, and said, "Hey, Lily, how are you?"

She smiled back and said, "I'm doing pretty well. Let me take your coat." As she took his coat off, she pulled his wand out of his back pocket, and, waving it at him jokingly, admonished him, "Don't let Auror Moody see you with this back there, or he will have you."

James grinned sheepishly and reached for his wand, but she withheld it from him, saying, "You won't need it this evening. I am cooking the Muggle way, so we are _both_ going to leave our wands on the counter." James found this odd because it could present dangers if something happened suddenly, but he went along with it because he trusted his girlfriend.

She set his wand on the counter next to hers, turned to stir something on the stove, and asked him, "Speaking of Moody, how was the Ministry today?"

James, currently an Auror-in-training, saw Moody daily. "It was fine. We mainly did physical training today. You know, running for hours on end until we all drop from exhaustion and the like. I don't think I will be able to move properly for about a month."

"Good. Then you won't be able to react very quickly when I do this." Lily turned to face James, a gun in her hand. Surprise more than fatigue and soreness immobilized James at this point. When Moody had first told them about Muggle weapons, James had asked Lily about guns, and she had told him she disapproved of them, and she certainly would never use one.

"Wh-What are you doing, Lily?"

"What does it look like I am doing, idiot? I am pointing a gun at you. Now, I suggest you shut up and do what I tell you to do."

Astounded, James quieted, but continued to look at Lily apprehensively.

"For years, you made my life miserable. Now, after over a year of pretending to like you, I can finally get my revenge. You are going to die, Potter."

James saw the menacing look on her face, and knew it was realistic, but he could not make any sense in what was going on. He knew Lily better than he knew Sirius, even better than he knew himself. Nobody could keep up the façade of liking someone for that long only to try to kill that person after over a year of friendship and more. There was something wrong with her, but he did not know what it could possibly be. Maybe she was under the Imperius Curse? No, he knew she could throw it off sometimes, and in a situation like this, he would have been able to see at least a semblance of her trying to overcome the curse. He decided to try to talk to her and figure out what this was all about.

"Okay, Lily, tell me what this is all about. You know you can talk to me. What did I do?"

"You know what you did. You made my life miserable. You have forced me to hide who I am. With you gone, I will have my vengeance."

James still could not make any sense of any of this. Lily never would have hidden who she was for anybody, especially someone she claims to hate.

Seeing Lily completely unhinged made James nervous, and he said nervously, "I-If you wanted vengeance, there were so many things you could have done. There are things so much worse than death."

Lily's lips curled into a smile that was evil personified. "Exactly."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize, and very little of what you do recognize.

A/N: Thanks Spuffy Freak and OTHCharmedHPFreak for reviewing! I hope everyone reading this story will drop me a line letting me know why you do or do not like it. Also, check out the prequel to this and The Essence of Terror, The Crime of Count Morano. There is one more chapter after this one.

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"Those, who, as they sung and danced in this once gay apartment, forgot, that years are made up of moments, and that every step they took carried them nearer to their graves." – Ann Radcliffe, The Mysteries of Udolpho

* * *

From beneath an Invisibility Cloak, bound and gagged in the corner of her own living room, Lily Evans watched in horror as her image pointed a gun at her boyfriend's heart.

Just two hours previously, she had been happily stirring some of her amazing spaghetti sauce, which she was preparing for her date with James. She had been a little nervous, too, of course, because she was planning to ask him to marry her tonight. When she was younger, she had always imagined that a man would propose to her, but as the years went by she realized that social conventions could be overrated at times. She would have been perfectly happy if James proposed to her, of course, but he hadn't yet. She knew how James felt about Halloween: how Halloween always seemed to hold significant, life-changing events. Both of their lives had certainly changed last Halloween. She also knew that he had been affected greatly last year, and she wanted him to have a happy memory of her and Halloween. She had spoken to Sirius recently, with whom he was sharing a flat, and knew James still had nightmares.

"He told me he was recovering from what happened last year, and I know he still hurts, but how bad is it, really?" She had asked Sirius when they had met for lunch last month.

_Sirius sighed. "He could be better. But then, he could be a lot worse, too. He still has nightmares, I know. He wakes up screaming sometimes. I think he is getting better, though. It just takes time."_

_Lily nodded._

"_Now, I know this can't be the only reason you wanted to meet me for lunch. You were very secretive about this whole thing. You aren't planning on leaving him for me, are you?" He asked, semi-jokingly. Even though Sirius saw how happy his two friends were with each other, he always feared in the back of his mind that Lily would break up with James._

"_Of course not, stupid." She paused and blushed. "I-I want to ask him to marry me." She looked at Sirius, begging for approval. When all she saw was him staring back at her, disbelievingly, she started to ramble, "I mean, surely he will say yes. I mean, he spent so much time and effort to get me to go out with him, he sure wouldn't say no. He certainly _acts_ as though he loves me . . ."_

_She trailed off as she saw the huge smile on Sirius' face, and he burst out laughing. "I assure you, he would not even _think_ of saying no. I don't think anything would make him happier. Personally, I don't understand why he has not asked you yet."_

_Lily smiled, relieved. "Great. I just wanted to talk to you first because you are his best friend, and I could not do this completely by myself."_

"_When are you going to ask him?"_

"_Halloween."_

In a way, she was excited that she had a chance to reverse roles. Little did she know just how much role-switching would go on today. Last year, James had been forced to watch, helpless, as she nearly died by her own hand, guided by Count Morano, of course. Now, it was her turn to do the same thing.

Lily hummed happily as she stirred her spaghetti sauce, but gasped as she turned around.

"_We meet once again, little girl." He had a gun pointed at her heart._

"_H-How? Yo-You're dead." She looked frantically for her wand, which she had left on the counter. There was no possibly way for her to reach it quickly enough to stop this man._

"_Obviously I am not. Since I have" he looked at his watch, "exactly one hour and forty-five minutes until _dear _James shows up, I think I can tell you how I got here. It will make it even better for me, knowing how miserable you will be when you know everything._

"_When your boyfriend's marauding friends showed up last year, destroying my perfect plan, I knew I had to do something about it. I could not allow you to be happy when you destroyed my life once again. The Potters had condemned me to hiding, and you condemned me to death. Luckily, I have connections. As the Aurors escorted me to the Ministry for my trial, I pretended to faint. One of my faithful friends at St. Mungo's had administered some Polyjuice to a man he found on the streets and killed him. He was a beggar. Nobody would miss him. When the Aurors brought me to St. Mungo's, he threw an Invisibility Cloak over me and put the dead beggar in my place. Aurors are dumb and never think anyone would use Polyjuice to fool anybody._

"_In this manner, I was able to escape. Now, once again, this Invisibility Cloak and some Polyjuice will help me." As he said this, he reached out and stroked Lily's hair with his left hand, his right still holding the gun to her chest. "You have such silky, beautiful hair," he proclaimed silkily, and pulled out a strand._

_Lily gasped. She could not even begin to imagine what Morano was going to do. She did not have to wait long, though, for Morano was too proud not to let her know what his brilliant mind was planning._

"_I will take on your appearance and kill Potter. Is that not great? He will think you, the love of his life, is killing him. He will be devastated that you do not love him, and he will then want to die. Then, of course, I will grant his request." He laughed maniacally at this._

"_You won't get away with this."_

"_Oh, but I will. It is perfect. Potter will be dead, and you will go to Azkaban. It will be your fingerprints on the gun, of course."_

_Saying this, he quickly spun the young woman around and swiftly tied a rope tightly around her hands and gagged her mouth with a handkerchief. He then bound her to the couch in the corner, knowing it was too heavy for anyone to move in her position, and threw the Invisibility Cloak over her._

_At this point, there was a knock at the door. "Right on time," Morano smiled menacingly. He then added Lily's hair to flask he had set on the counter, which Lily had not seen before. Morano then drank the nasty concoction swiftly, tossed the empty flask in the garbage can hidden under the sink, and went to answer the door, now bearing Lily's features.

* * *

_

James now knew that there was something seriously wrong with Lily, and he had to get the gun away from her somehow. His palms began to sweat again, this time from a different kind of nervousness. More than wanting to save his own life, James was worried about what would happen to _her_. He could not stand the thought of her going to Azkaban for his murder.

"Lily. Come on, you can trust me. Hand me the gun."

"Like Hell I will, Potter," she glared.

"You hate guns."

"Fooled you, huh?"

"I know you, Lily. You don't want to do this."

"I don't, do I?"

"No, you don't. You'll go to Azkaban for sure."

"You think I care about going to Azkaban? It will be worth it. You have no idea how much I want to do this. You are the bane of my existence. You and your family."

"My family? You never met my family, Lily. They died before we became good enough friends for you to want to meet them. What are you talking about?"

Lily swore under her breath, causing James to worry even more. Lily never used words worse than "bloody" or "hell," even when she was really angry.

"Something's wrong with you, Lily, just give me the gun and we can talk about it."

"No. We are finished talking. It's time for you to die."

She cocked the gun, and as he waited for the fatal shot, he looked deep into her eyes. Behind the brilliant green he was used to seeing, he saw something else. Specks of gold glinted deep within each pupil.

"You're not Lily."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.

A/N: Last chapter of this fic. I'd really appreciate any feedback you can give me. Also, I'd really appreciate if everyone would check out The Crime of Count Morano, the prequel to this and The Essence of Terror.

* * *

"What we are losing, ever seems to us the most precious." – Matthew Lewis, The Monk

* * *

As James and Morano started to talk, Lily tried to think of what she could do to prevent anything from happening to James. Her eyes landed on the letter opener she had set on the bottom shelf of the end table next to the couch. If she could just reach it with her foot . . .

After much stretching and struggling, she managed to knock the dull knife onto the floor and bring it towards her. She scooted around as much as she could, for her bindings restricted movement, and, little by little, brought the letter opener to her hands, and she began to saw at the ropes desperately. The process was made even more difficult due to her sweaty palms. She could not let James die, especially not if he thought her responsible.

Finally, as she heard herself declare that she wanted to go to Azkaban, she succeeded in cutting through the ropes that bound her. Quietly, she removed her gag and analyzed the situation. Morano thought she would not be able to move. She had to use this to her advantage.

She quickly and quietly rose to her feet. With the aid of the soft carpet, she sneaked towards the pair.

She watched in horror as her image cocked the gun pointed at James. As James proclaimed, "You're not Lily," she took her chance and rushed at Morano.

* * *

James watched in astonishment as some invisible being tackled Lily to the ground, kicking the gun as far away as possible. As the real Lily yanked off the Invisibility Cloak, James began to understand what may have happened. He now remembered where he had seen that glint of gold before. He rushed to Lily and pulled her into a tight embrace. 

As they clung to each other, Lily started to cry, repeating, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, now" he reassured her.

A groan from the floor brought the pair back to reality. The figure on the floor began to twitch and resume the form of a tall, slightly emaciated man. James quickly approached Morano and punched him, rendering him unconscious. Lily grabbed their wands from the counter and stunned and bound the man lying on her living room floor.

That done, James went to the fireplace, threw in some Floo powder, and stuck his head in, calling for the Auror department of the Ministry.

A mass of Aurors arrived immediately and were stunned at the sight of a man they believed to have been dead for nearly a year. They vowed that this mistake would not happen again. Morano was to be sent directly to Azkaban without a trial.

* * *

Later that night, sitting on the coach in Lily's flat, James decided to go ahead and do what he had intended to do that evening. He pretended to drop something on the floor, and got down on the floor to look for it. Lily started to stand up to help him when he grabbed her left hand, which had a few scratches from the letter opener, and asked her to marry him, presenting her with a beautiful ring with emeralds surrounding a large central diamond. 

Lily laughed happily. "Of course, I will marry you." She paused and blushed for a second. "I was actually going to ask you the same thing. I even asked Sirius for moral support."

"When did you ask him?"

"About a month ago."

"No wonder he laughed at me. I asked him to come with me to pick out the ring a couple of weeks ago, and the whole time he seemed to be laughing at some private joke."

Lily looked at her new fiancé and burst into laughter. "You know, I think we should get married next Halloween. After all, it's a great day for significant, life-changing events."

FIN.


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